


darling, even at the end of time, i'll find you

by AllTheNamesIWantedWereUsed



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Deke is a dick, F/M, Friendship/Love, Gen, Heavy Angst, Outer Space, Rescue Missions, Season/Series 05, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-07
Updated: 2018-01-19
Packaged: 2019-02-11 13:32:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12936324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllTheNamesIWantedWereUsed/pseuds/AllTheNamesIWantedWereUsed
Summary: While searching for a way to save Simmons, Daisy finds something she wasn't expecting.Namely, Robbie Reyes.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welp S5 is out and we all miss Robbie Reyes, so I whipped this up for those of you craving your Ghost Rider fix.
> 
> Based on this post: https://a-light-in-the-dark-i-hope.tumblr.com/post/168253887950/whistlingwindtree-a-light-in-the-dark-i-hope

Daisy wasn't sure whether to be annoyed or secretly smug about the fact that Deke was following her, trying to keep her from going after Simmons.

 

“I can’t let you do this,” he insisted, and she didn’t bother to hide the way her eyes rolled. As if he could do a damn thing.

 

“What I do isn’t up to you,” she snapped, turning to face him, his bright blue eyes panicked, probably about her ruining his precious Framework speakeasy.

 

“Do you have any idea what you’re doing?” he demanded. “Do you know how many people you might get killed in the fallout? Of course, seeing as you’re the girl who tore the Earth apart, why would you care at-”

 

“Do me a favor, Deke, and shut the hell up,” she countered. She’s getting sick of his “you quaked the Earth apart” barbs. Even if she could do that (and there was no way that was possible, was it?), she wouldn’t. Never.

 

Deke only glared at her, quiet for about five blissful seconds before saying, “So what if you do get to your friend? What then? Where are you gonna go? Where are you gonna hide? It might be nice if you had a plan-”

 

“I’ve got a plan,” she lied. “I just need you to tell me where the Kree keep their prisoners.” It’s a long shot, she knows, but it’s worth a shot.

 

He scoffed. “What makes you think I know that?”

 

She shrugged. “You seemed pretty buddy-buddy with them, I thought it was a fair question since you’re such good friends with them.”

 

Deke tensed a bit. “I’m not friends with them.”

 

It was her turn to scoff. “Yeah, okay.”

 

He started to protest, but she cut him off. “Look, I’m doing this with or without you. Now, you can either tell me where Simmons is being held and help me figure out the least noticeable way to get her out, or you can go back into your Framework opium den while I take out _every Kree I see_ and let your little escapist business crumble.” She lets that implication dangle, remembering how upset he’d been at the fallen aliens when she had rescued Yo-Yo and Mack.

 

He hesitated, and she shrugged, turning away. That only seemed to piss him off.

 

“You already destroyed the world once,” he said furiously, grabbing her arm with a vice-like grip, “I’m not letting you do it again!”

 

Anger and instinct took over, and she shoved him away before blasting him into the wall. Unfortunately, he wasn’t knocked out. He staggered a bit against the wall, trying to regain his footing.

 

 _“There_ she is,” Deke sneered triumphantly. “Quake, Destroyer of Worlds.”

 

She gritted her teeth. He was such an ass, but the best thing to do was ignore his accusatory comments.

 

She held out her hand, and he shrank back, ever so slightly.

 

“Either run or help me,” she said. “It’s your choice, but I’m not letting some knockoff Han Solo stop me from saving my best friend. Are you in or out?”

 

They stared at each other for a few moments, and she could see the gears turning in his head. If he helped her, they could pull off something a lot more stealthy, and his business would be protected and uninvolved in the fallout. The same couldn’t be said for her alternative plan, which involved guns blazing.

 

“Fine,” he huffed through bared teeth, “But if we get caught, I’m not bailing your ass out.”

 

“I won’t need you to,” she said. “Earthquake powers, remember? The kind that destroys a planet?”

 

He closed his eyes as she tossed his own words back at him, choosing not to acknowledge it as he said, “There’s a closed-off space in the far south section of the Lighthouse, on the third level. It’s rumored that that’s where they hold prisoners...at least, the ones they feel like sparing, and the ones the roaches haven’t gotten already.”

 

He must’ve seen the anger in her eyes at the implication of what had become of Simmons because he held his hands up in surrender. “Jeez, I’m not saying Simon or whatever is dead-”

 

“Simmons,” Daisy corrected him in a tight tone. “Her name is Jemma Simmons.”

 

“Whatever,” Deke said. “Let’s grab some flashlights and go.”

* * *

 

“For the record, this is a terrible idea,” Deke said as they descended into blackness.

 

“When I want your opinion, Deke, I’ll ask for it,” Daisy said, her voice acidic before turning her attention back to empty gloom.

 

“Simmons?” she whispered into the darkness, ignoring the annoyed mutterings of Deke behind her. “Jemma, are you there? It’s me, it’s Daisy.”

 

Nothing at first. And then, something quiet, barely able to be heard over Deke’s mumbling. She hissed for him to shut up.

 

“Hello?” she said, a little louder. “Is someone there?”

 

Again, soft and rasping.

 

Her name.

 

_“Daisy?”_

 

It sent a chill down her spine. That didn’t sound like Simmons, she thought, advancing towards the source. In the dark, something softly luminescent moved and a scraping sound echoed in the emptiness, like metal moving against concrete.

 

She moved towards the source, feeling like a white girl in a horror movie, casting the bright beacon of her flashlight over the ground, until it came to rest on a strangely familiar black sneaker with a white stripe, and then another one, connected to the pant legs of jeans so dirty it was almost impossible to tell they were blue.  

 

Someone was definitely down here, and she pushed down a horrible thought in the back of her mind.

 

The flashlight traveled up, and her heart pounded before sinking into her stomach when she saw the signature black leather jacket.

 

Not here.

 

Not here.

 

There was no way, it couldn’t be-

 

 _“Robbie?”_ she said, her breath caught in her throat. The flashlight was bright enough that it cast a white haze over his face, and the restraints wrapped around his wrists and chest.

 

How could he have been here? He was supposed to be in another dimension, in their time, looking for a way to destroy the Darkhold. Had something happened? Robbie seemed to have been dabbling in things that were way beyond anything she could have imagined.

 

He looked awful. The odd, faintly glowing chains were one thing, but the gauntness of his face and the weariness in his eyes were something else.

 

He looked at her like he’d seen a ghost, eyes wary and tired, and it occurred to her that he probably couldn’t even see her around the glow of the flashlight. She knelt down next to him, setting the flashlight down so that it shone towards the ceiling, casting a white halo over both of them.

 

“Robbie?” she said again, softly. “It’s me, it’s Daisy.” She reached for his hand, but he jerked away, chains clinking.

 

“No,” he rasped. “No, you can’t be here. It’s-it’s not possible.”

 

“Yeah, we said that, too,” she said, her eyes scanning him up and down. He looked way too thin, and in really rough shape. How could this have happened? He’d only been gone for a few hours, maybe days at most (granted, she didn’t know how long the people who had picked the team up had kept them in that stasis), there was no way he could be in this state after so little time.

 

“Daisy? What’s going on?” Deke came up, shining his flashlight right in Robbie’s eyes. Robbie winced and turned his face away from the light.

 

“Deke, don’t shine it in his eyes, you asshole!” Daisy reprimanded him, holding her hand up in an attempt to shield Robbie’s eyes.

 

“You know this guy?” Deke asked, reluctantly lowering the flashlight.

 

“He’s a friend, he worked with us,” Daisy explained briefly before turning back to what really mattered. “Robbie, listen-”

 

“You’re not here,” Robbie muttered. “You can’t be, it’s not possible-”

 

“I promise, it’s me,” Daisy said, laying her hand on his knee. “Hang on and I’ll try and get you out of these chains-”

 

“How can you be here?” Robbie snapped. “This isn’t real, it’s all in my head or something-”

 

“Robbie, please, I swear I’m real,” she said, starting to panic. “There’s something really horrible going on here, Simmons is in danger-

 

“The Earth is gone and no one knows what happened to it, yeah, yeah, yeah,” Deke said. “Can we catch up later? This is really-”

 

“What are you talking about?” Robbie said, looking thoroughly perplexed. “‘No one knows what happened?’ I fucking lived it, I know exactly what happened.”

 

“You-” Daisy stopped. How was that possible? The Lighthouse had been here for at least almost a century, there was no way-

 

Her mind went back to one of the first conversations she’d had with Robbie, discussing the Ghost Rider while they sped to rescue Gabe from a shady part of town.

 

 _“So you think that if you right whatever wrong your uncle was trying to fix, that you can get rid of it?”_   


_He didn’t look at her, but his jaw clenched. “Or else I have to ride with it forever.”_

 

She remembered how he’d tried to hide the way that thought truly bothered him. And now...

 

 _I fucking lived it_.

 

“Oh my God,” she whispered.

 

This wasn’t  Robbie Reyes from her time.

 

It was Robbie Reyes in the future.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm afraid this is mostly filler, but here you are
> 
> There's a playlist for this fic up on Spotify! You can find me @caleopercebeth#1, and find this playlist under a folder called "Fic Playlists"

Daisy’s brain was left reeling. There were so many implications in Robbie’s presence here, especially in him being here, on the Lighthouse, the whole fucking time. Her mind switched thoughts and theories so fast she could barely process any of them.

 

“Daisy?” Deke’s voice snapped her out of her horrified reverie. “You wanna tell me what’s going on?”

 

“Who the hell is that?” Robbie muttered.

 

“That’s Deke, don’t worry about him,” Daisy said, rolling her eyes.

 

“Hey!” Deke said indignantly, his scowl visible in the low light.

 

“How long have you been down here?” Daisy asked Robbie.

 

“I don’t know,” he said quietly. “It’s hard to keep track of time down here, and it’s so…” He trailed off. “It’s been a while.”

 

“Do you eat at all?” she said, her eyes tracing the gaunt lines of his face.

 

“They’ll throw stuff down here every once in awhile, if they remember,” Robbie replied dully. His response made something in her stomach twist.

 

“Don’t worry, I’ll get you out of these,” she said, gesturing to the chains he was in.

 

“These were made to keep the Rider from getting out,” he said, “I don’t know how much luck you’ll have.”

 

“They were made for the Rider, not me,” Daisy said, thinking. Robbie didn’t have any of the Rider’s powers, which, of course, included the super strength and ability to light a place up.

 

Plus whatever the weird, fiery portal thing was.

 

Her fingers ran along the length of the chain, following it until her fingertips settled on the wall behind Robbie. She closed her eyes and reached out, sensing the vibrations the chains and the section that connected them to the wall gave off.

 

_There._

 

One small quake later, the wall around the chains crumbled and the end of them fell limp to the floor.

 

“Can you stand?” she asked, trying to pull the chains off of him.

 

“We’ll find out,” Robbie replied wryly as she unlooped the metal links from around his wrists.

 

Daisy nodded, and gave him her shoulder to lean on. “Deke, lend a hand, would you?”

 

Grumbling, Deke came closer to assist. Together, it wasn’t hard to lift Robbie to his feet.

 

‘Together,’ referring to her and Deke. _Gross_.

 

“Can you make it up the stairs?” she asked Robbie.

 

“We’ll see,” Robbie responded.

* * *

It turned out that, yes, Robbie could make it up the stairs, but that in itself was an achievement. Despite Deke’s grumbling, the two of them took a break in a discrete hallway as the Rider tried to slowly knit Robbie’s body back into working condition.

 

Even in the dim light, Robbie didn’t look so hot. He looked like he hadn’t eaten in months, and Daisy’s stomach twisted knowing that thought was a probable possibility. There were still bruises on his wrists from the chains, dark purple marring what little skin that wasn’t covered by the jacket and gloves.

 

“If you’re going to drag me into this, can we get going?” Deke asked irritably. “We can’t waste all our time on whoever-this-is.”

 

 _“His_ _name_ is Robbie,” Daisy replied sharply, feeling conflicted. On one hand, she needed to get to Simmons as soon as possible. On the other, Robbie needed her help and probably had more answers than Discount Han Solo did. “I’m going to wait until he can walk a little better.”

 

“If he can’t help us, we should just leave him,” Deke argued.

 

“He _can_ help us,” she snapped, aware of Robbie against the wall, listening to them. “And he’s probably got a better idea of what happened than you do, he just needs a little time. Shut the hell up and go mutter to yourself about your lunatic conspiracy theories.”

 

“They’re only lunatic because you can’t accept the fact that you, Quake, Destroyer of Worlds-”

 

She’d had enough. Her palm cracked across his face, echoing in the dim hallway and sending Deke reeling, his head snapping to the side. He turned his head back to face her, incredulous, a bright red mark staining his cheekbone.

 

“Don’t ever call me that again,” she hissed, and turned away from him, going to join Robbie against the wall. She slid down, sitting next to him, and was aware of him staring at her, his eyes locked on her like he could look into her soul.

 

“What?” she asked.

 

“Nothing,” he said, deflecting his gaze. “Guess you don’t like Deke much.”

 

He’d been giving her odd looks the whole time, it had nothing to do with her and Deke’s lack of chemistry.

 

“That’s an understatement. Come on, what is it?” she coaxed.

 

“It’s just...I’ve gotta be hallucinating or something,” Robbie said, staring at her. “There’s no way you’re really-how are you here?”

 

“This is going to sound really dumb,” Daisy said, “But I’m from the past. Like, a century in the past. The whole team is here too, and Simmons is trouble.”

 

Robbie’s face was impassive for a moment before he closed his eyes with a sigh that seemed to deflate his entire body. “Jesus Christ, of course-” He cut himself off, rubbing his face with his hands. “It’s starting,” he mumbled to himself. “Fuck.”

 

“What?” Daisy said. “What’s starting?”

 

Robbie stared at her for a moment, looking like he’d aged ten years in two minutes.

 

“Robbie? What’s starting?” Daisy pushed.

 

“You probably have a lot of questions about what’s going on, what’s happened,” Robbie says. “About this place, how we got here...the Earth.”

 

“You’ve probably got a better explanation than the crackpot theory Deke came up with,” Daisy said.

 

“What is it?”

 

“Oh, he’s got this dumbass idea that I’m the one who tore the Earth apart and damned humanity,” she scoffed. “Yeah, there’s no way that happened.” She was laughing a bit until she saw Robbie’s expression shift.

 

Her smile fell when she saw that there wasn’t any humor in the crease of his brow or the way he wouldn’t look her in the eye.

 

“It...didn’t happen, right?” she said uneasily.

 

Robbie shifted where he sat. “Daisy-”

 

“I couldn’t-could I?” she said, her breath caught in her throat, the horror choking her. “Robbie, what did I-”

 

“The right thing,” he said firmly. “Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

 

“What-What the hell does that mean, _the right thing?_ ” she demanded. “Are you telling me I really did destroy the world?”

 

“It’s-” He shook his head. “It’s complicated.”

 

Daisy ran a hand through her hair. Deke was right, a thought that felt like acid in her brain. She really had quaked the Earth apart.

 

Everything she had fought for, the control she’d worked so long to achieve, it would all be for nothing.

 

A worse thought infiltrated her mind: what if she hadn’t lost control? What if she’d become like Andrew Garner and destroyed the world on purpose?

 

Robbie saw the distress in her expression because he leaned forward a bit, her being too far out of his reach for him to extend a comforting hand, only able to offer a quiet, “Daisy.”

 

He blurred in her vision, and she realized the presence of the tears in her eyes, swiping at them.

 

“It wasn’t your fault,” he said, making sure she met his eyes. “I promise. What happened? It wasn’t on you.”

 

“Why?” she said. “Why did I-?”

 

“There wasn’t any other choice,” he replied softly. “Something broke through, from hell, from the darkest corners of the universe,” Robbie went on. “It was too much. Even the Avengers couldn’t stop it, or the Guardians.”

 

“The who?” Daisy knew the Avengers, sure, but who the hell were the Guardians?

 

“They’re dead or gone, so it doesn’t matter,” Robbie replied dully. “Anyway, as a last Hail Mary, everyone went into their underground bunkers and it was just you and me. And you...you-” he hesitated.

 

“I quaked the world apart,” she filled in, the words tasting bitter on her tongue.

 

“You got rid of the threat, is what you did,” Robbie said. “You didn’t damn humanity, Daisy. You saved it.”

 

They sat in silence for a few moments as she mulled that over. She trusted Robbie, but, still….it didn’t feel right.

 

“And Gabe?” she said softly. “What about him?”

 

Robbie looked down at his hands. “I don’t know,” he whispered. “He’s not- he can’t still be-”

 

That hit her, hard in the chest. She and Gabe had a lot to work out, but there was no denying the kid had a fire and tons of potential. To think that he was gone in this time...it was something she hadn’t really thought of before, but she was loath to consider it now. Gabe was the glue that held Robbie together, and now Robbie didn’t have that anymore.

 

She wondered how he was still sane, with all those years of solitary confinement with only the Rider for company, and her heart ached.

 

Her hand found his knee, and his gaze flicked up to the way her fingers curled on his jeans.

 

“I’m sorry,” she said gently. He made a move as if to cover up her hand with his own, but seemed to think better of it.

 

“Nothing you can do,” he said simply. “Besides, you did enough for him in your own time.”

 

“What, you mean ruining his life by dragging his brother into a government agency?” she said bitterly.

 

“I was talking about the full ride to Stanford you got him,” Robbie corrected her. “I always felt like I never thanked you enough for that.”

 

“I was just trying to make up for getting him involved,” she said.

 

“Yeah, you said that,” he replied with a wry smile.

 

The way he said that implied something that settled like a stone in the pit of her stomach.

 

“I’m not alive in this time anymore, obviously,” she said slowly. “The Lighthouse has only been around for what, a century? There’s no way I would have left you to the Kree-”

 

“You died a long time ago, Daisy,” he confirmed, eyes darkened.

 

“Sooner than most, huh?”

 

He didn’t answer that. “You said Simmons was in trouble,” he said. “I want to help.”

 

A pang throbbed in her chest as she looked at him, barely able to walk, alone and in a personal hell, still wanting to help.

 

It’d really only been a few hours since she saw him last, but God, she’d missed him.

 

And besides, he probably hadn’t seen her for decades.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: there is mention of rape and some implications in the very beginning, and this chapter also includes the scene where Deke the Dick sells Daisy into slavery so if that triggered you in any way, please be mindful and skip the last section.

__ Daisy filled Robbie in on the little she knew, feeling the seconds tick by as she explained their plight.

 

“We don’t really know what’s happening to Simmons,” Daisy confessed. “Deke, I don’t suppose you know anything?”

 

Deke scowled at her from where he was leaning against the wall opposite to them, his face still marked from where she had slapped him.

 

“Kasius does with his servants as he pleases,” Deke said. “They could be doing anything from menial tasks, to waiting on guests, or used for... _ entertainment. _ I don’t really ask questions. _ ” _

 

“‘Entertainment,’” Daisy echoed, feeling the dread swell up. “What do you mean by that, Deke?” 

 

“What do you think?” Deke snapped, rolling his eyes. “Theatre isn’t exactly around anymore, and the Kree have never learned the meaning of ‘boundaries.’” He let the implications hang in the air.

 

“So what you’re telling me,” Daisy said coldly, “Is that Simmons and the other servants might be being raped and you still don’t want to help them? I mean, you’re only here because I made you.”

 

“It’s not my problem,” Deke replied, his tone just as frigid. Daisy felt her hands curl into fists, wanting to sock him. Next to her, Robbie looked disgusted. Daisy gave him a look as if to say,  _ You see why I don’t like him? _

 

“Right, I forgot: you only fight for yourself. God forbid you do something for other than ulterior motives,” she said.

 

“Hey, at least I didn’t destroy the world, you overbearing bitch-”

 

“Man, shut the  _ fuck _ up,” Robbie interjected angrily. “You don’t know shit about what happened.” 

 

“And you do?” Deke scoffed.

 

“Yeah, I fucking lived it,” Robbie said, his gloved hands mirroring Daisy’s and turning into fists.

 

“Yeah, I wonder how that’s even possible,” Deke said. “You know, I’ve been thinking about it and I think I figured it out. See, my mom used to tell me stories about an immortal demon made of fire and bone who pretended to be a man-” Robbie clenched his jaw at Deke’s words, eyes flashing. “-I always thought that was crazy, but-” Deke gestured at Robbie almost triumphantly, “Looks like the devil really is here.” 

 

He rounded on Daisy then. “You two must be perfect for each other,” he sneered at her. “You’re both monsters-”

 

Robbie was on his feet before any of them knew what was happening, his fist connecting with Deke’s jaw.

 

Deke went down, hitting the ground ass first. He spat the blood from his mouth at their feet and grinned up through bloody teeth at Robbie, who was leaning against the wall, tired from the sudden movement. 

 

“I rest my case,” he said, pushing himself to his feet.  

 

“I’m out,” he added. “I’m done helping you if all I’m gonna get for my troubles is a load of mistreatment.”

 

“You’ve barely helped at all!” Daisy said indignantly.

 

“Don’t count on any more assistance from me,” Deke said. “You ask me, you should’ve been playing the long game, waiting for me to get you in there. Forget about it now.” He turned and started to walk away from them. 

 

“What the hell are you fighting for, other than yourself, Deke?” Daisy shouted after him. “You’re selfish and pathetic, and a coward!” 

 

Deke spun on his heel. “You don’t know a damn thing about me, Quake!” he said, irate, and Daisy found the irony in that statement bittersweet.

 

“I know that you’re self-absorbed and only care about your profit. Go back to your morally corrupt dreamland and stay out of my way,” Daisy replied scathingly.

 

Deke didn’t bother arguing anymore,  just glared daggers at them before continuing down the hallway. 

 

“Now that the trash took itself out, we should get to Simmons,” Daisy said to Robbie. “How do you feel?”

 

“I can walk,” Robbie replied. Punching Deke seemed to have taken a lot out of him.“I don’t know how much good I’ll be at fighting, but I can do it.”

 

Daisy mused on that for a moment. “Deke mentioned that some asshole has the others working as indentured servants, I’m going to check it out. You don’t have a Metric and you’re a little more noticeable, so stay here, out of sight and I’ll come back once I’ve figured out a way to get to the level where Simmons is. That okay?”

 

“It’s a better plan than I’ve got,” Robbie replied, cracking a smile. “Go do your thing,  _ querida. _ ” He winced a bit at the last word, but Daisy didn’t think much of it. She smiled back at him, brushing his shoulder as she walked past him, on her way to find the others.

* * *

 

_ Querida _ . God, he was an idiot. It wasn’t her, not the Daisy he’d known at least. 

 

Well, it  _ was _ Daisy, but she didn’t know him as well as the Daisy he knew-

 

Fucking time travel, it made his head hurt. 

 

He knew this day would come, he’d waited for it, clung to the thought of it like a lifeline.

 

Seeing her and knowing she’d be gone again hurt almost as much as losing her the first time.

* * *

 

“So, you're an indentured servant to the junkyard king?” Daisy muttered to Yo-Yo, out of sight of her team’s new ‘employers.’

 

“And everyone else is on a spacewalk, but there's no time to explain,” Yo-Yo said under her breath, “They're tracking me, you shouldn't be seen here. You should go.”   
  


“That's a great idea,” Daisy said. “Let's go.”   
  


“I can't,” Yo-Yo said reluctantly. “I need to stay. The thing I stole from the Kree guard, that scroll, boss man has it in his office, but I think I found a way to get it.”

  
“That's good,” Daisy encouraged. “If you can get it to me, maybe I can get to Simmons.”   
  


“Exactly,” Yo-Yo agreed. “So go, but stay close. There’s a grate near the office, go in front of it and wait for me.” 

 

Daisy heeded her friend’s instructions, hoping they could pull this off.

* * *

 

Yo-Yo was a force to be reckoned with, Daisy thought to herself as she strode back to the hallway where Robbie was, ready to rescue Simmons.

 

Robbie saw the scroll. “What’s that?” 

 

“Our Deke replacement,” she answered. “The Kree’s tablet version of security clearance, I guess. It’ll help us get to Simmons.” 

 

“As long as it doesn’t talk, I’ll take it,” Robbie said.

 

“Awesome, let's go,” she said. She turned, but Robbie caught her by the wrist. “Daisy-”

 

She raised an eyebrow at him in question. 

 

“I-He was wrong,” Robbie said, lessening his hold.

 

“What?”

 

“Deke. He was wrong about you,” Robbie's words took on a firmness. “You're not a monster.” 

 

Daisy noticed he excluded himself from that particular statement. “You aren't either, Robbie,” she said softly. She lay her hand on top of his own. “I've known monsters, and you aren't one of them.” 

 

Something flickered in Robbie’s expression.  “Yeah, you said that once.” 

 

She’s about to ask him for more details, but he’s already moving. “Come on, let’s get Simmons.”

* * *

 

Daisy had hoped sneaking into an elevator and crashing into Kasius’s ‘palace’ would go a little smoother.

 

She was wrong, evidently.

 

They managed to sneak into what looked like a lab for growing food and into the elevator fairly easily. She and Robbie glanced at each other as the door closed as if they were allowing themselves a quick check-up of the other. The moment was over the second the elevator doors ground to a halt, and they both looked over in panic at the sight of a blue hand stopping the door from closing.

 

Time to think fast.

 

Using her powers, she quaked open the grate before giving hushed instructions to Robbie along with a boost up into it with similar vibrations. 

 

She was halfway through the opening when the Kree paused, calling out something to one of his friends. Startled, her foot slipped, and she felt herself falling, barely managing to propel herself upwards just enough to lock in her feet and hands on either side of the wall just below the opening. Robbie, to his credit, managed to stay rather silent throughout the whole ordeal.

 

Now was really not the time to be pulling a Matilda, but there were few other options.

 

She thought she could hold it out, at least until the doors were hindered in closing once again as another Kree entered, shouting harshly at a human to hurry with a cartload of fruit. 

 

Daisy tried to straighten her body, putting all of her strength into her arms in legs as she felt herself slipping. 

 

It wasn’t enough. She slid, really only a half inch at most, but her shoes screeched against the wall, making her heart stop as the two Kree froze, then looked up at her.

 

She sighed. “I really thought this would work,” she confessed irritatedly before letting go and falling back into the elevator, kicking both Kree square in the chest., sending baskets of fruit everywhere.

 

Though stunned, the Kree recovered fairly quickly, converging on her, but she knocked one to the ground, jumping off of him and driving the heel of her boot into the other’s chest as hard as she could. 

 

The first Kree threw a clumsy punch that she easily dodged, one that landed in his co-worker’s

Jaw, before managing to take her by the shoulders and slamming her into the wall.

 

Robbie came down now, drawing attention from one of the Kree. The other came at her, attempting to throw her into the wall once more, and she pushed off it, flipping in midair as the Kree crashed into the wall. 

 

The Kree grabbed her, lifting her into the air. She swung her body weight towards the wall, kicking off of it and propelling her foot into the other Kree’s face as Robbie punched him and sent him stumbling backward. 

 

The Kree dropped her, but as she scrambled to her feet, he punched her hard enough that she went flying out of the elevator and crashing into a table of plants, Robbie calling her name. 

 

The Kree started to make a beeline for her, but never got out of the elevator because Robbie grabbed his wrist, the blue flesh bubbling and blackening under Robbie’s grip. The Kree’s howl was cut short as Robbie’s other fist slammed into the side of his head, effectively knocking him out.

 

“Daisy!” Robbie’s dirt-stained sneakers squeaked on the concrete floor as he ran to her. When he reached her, he did his best to help, his hands hovering awkwardly in the air in case she fell as she leaned against the table to try and stabilize herself.

 

“You okay?” he asked.

 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she said, wincing at the ache in her back. “That was so not as stealth as I’d hoped.” Bracing a hand against her spine, her hand brushed the scroll. She pulled it out, one-half dangling and cracked, fizzling wires sputtering. She and Robbie exchanged exasperated looks as Plan A went down the drain. 

 

“What now?” Robbie said. 

 

Time for Plan B.

 

“Well, we do exactly what Deke didn’t want us to do,” she answered. “We storm the fucking palace.”

* * *

 

“You weren’t kidding,” Robbie said, glancing up at the giant hole she’d quaked in the ceiling. “Subtle much?” 

 

“Oh, be quiet,” she replied, feigning annoyance as she looked at the ivory walls. “Kasius’s chamber is probably this way, we should go,” she said, and they set off down the hallway.

 

Robbie could run surprisingly fast, she wondered if he was a soccer player in another life. 

 

She almost didn’t see it, a quick flash, a minuscule change in the hue of the space in front of her, but she heard it, the grinding of something coming down in front of them.

 

An invisible wall.

 

Her arm reached out, catching Robbie’s wrist, pulling him back just in time as the wall sealed off the hallway, Robbie’s foot slamming into a solid wall of nothingness. Dread quickened her heartbeat, and she spun on her heel, only to be stopped by another tone of grinding. A low hissing noise sounded, and she looked down at her feet only to see a thick white gas pouring out from two small openings in the wall.

 

The effect was almost instantaneous. The world slanted sideways and blurred, and she swayed for a moment before falling to her knees, and Robbie followed suit a moment later. 

 

“You were right,” a man’s voice purred, and next to her, a snarl rattled in Robbie’s throat as a Kree came around the corner, flanked by guards and a Kree woman holding two small, silver spheres. 

 

“It's a rare occasion that I am surprised, but count this among them,” The first Kree continued. Daisy assumed he was Kasius. 

  
Anger surged through the fogginess as Deke came out from behind one of the guards.”I told you she'd find her way down here,” he preened. “And demonstrating her powers, no less...that right there is a weapon of mass destruction, tied up in one pretty, little package, all for you.” Deke didn’t even have the decency to look ashamed as he glanced at Kasius. “We can talk about price later, but I expect that you'll be more than fair.”

 

Daisy coughed as Kasius stepped closer. His eyes unsettled her, unblinking and looking as if he was examining some sort of priceless jewel to buy.

 

“So this is Quake, Destroyer of Worlds,” Kasius mused, voice soft but words barbed. His gaze shifted from her to Robbie. “And you. I thought I’d dealt with you a long time ago. How curious…”  His head turned ever so slightly towards Deke. “How is it possible that they’re here?” 

 

“The important thing is…” Deke stepped forward, crouching in front if them like he was looking at an animal in a cage, “-they’re yours. Especially her.”

 

“I’ll kill you,” Daisy hissed, trying not to break eye contact with Deke as she heard Robbie slump to the floor, “I  _ swear.” _

 

Deke smirked, glancing next to her where Robbie had succumbed to the gas, unconscious. “Sorry, sweetheart,” he said condescendingly. “I'm just playing the long game.”

 

She fought the gas, but the clouds swallowed up her vision and turned the world to darkness. 


	4. Chapter 4

If Daisy had a dollar for every time someone captured her and tried to use her genetics to her advantage, she’d have two bucks. Two dollars wasn’t a lot, but it was annoying that it’d happened twice. 

 

She hated I.V.s with a passion, and now she glared at the one coming out of her arm with evident distaste, before shifting her gaze over to Robbie, both of them cuffed to a chair and fitted with something meant to restrict their powers. Unfortunately, Robbie was outfitted in the same chains he’d been in when Daisy had first found him.

 

She still felt the inhibitor muffling her powers. It was cold and heavy behind her ear, and the vibrations she was so used to feeling like a song thrumming through her bones, the rumblings of the world around her, were gone.

 

They shared a tired glance as Kasius rambled on and on about how “I rescued humanity. Did you know that? What you may not know is how much I've sacrificed to do it,” and “Before I arrived, this place was nothing but wreckage, the rotted shell of a dead organism. But I saw it for what it could be. I had a vision.” 

 

Vision, in her experience, usually meant grand master plan with genocidal expectations.

  
“And now, thanks to you, that vision has finally come to fruition,” Kasius added finally, concluding his monologue.

 

“You’ve taken my blood,” Daisy said, watching him preen over a tree, “What more do you need from me?”

 

“Despite all I did for these humans-” More rambling, only now Kasius had the decency to face them and make eye contact. So much for a conclusion. “-I found them clinging to their gods, their fairy tales, one of which was Quake, and one of their demons even, Ghost Rider.” His gaze slid over to Robbie before turning back to the tree. “The Old Ones, rest their souls, they used to tell the story of how S.H.I.E.L.D. would return one day from the past to save them...Now here you are.”   
  


“Not by choice,” she muttered. She knew Deke was leaning against the wall, waiting to negotiate his price with Kasius. She was going to kill him if Robbie and the Ghost Rider didn’t get there first.

 

Something ticked in Kasius’ expression, as if he’d tasted something sour. “Yet here you are, banded together with a past lover, a long-time prisoner of mine, showing up at the exact same time as another human, with no marks on her wrist and a skill set beyond her station.” He looked at Daisy, waiting for a reaction, but she gave him nothing more than a glare as she considered his words, refusing to take her eyes off him even as she felt Robbie’s gaze  on her. 

  
  


“Ghost Rider and Jemma,” Kasius clarified, as though Daisy was a small child. 

 

“I know you’re trying to say something, I’m just not sure what,” Daisy said. “Maybe we could cut the riddles bullshit and get to the point?”

 

“Perhaps you are more than a fairy tale,” Kasius mused, ignoring her barb. “How many of you are here?”

 

“No one else,” she answered tonelessly.

 

“I want to believe you, Daisy. May I call you ‘Daisy’? It's a lot less formal than ‘Destroyer of Worlds.’” Daisy bit back the urge to say ‘no.’ Kasius moved closer, both of them trying to stare the other down. “You see, I have my own interpretation of the fairy tale,” he said lightly, walking around Daisy’s chair before leaning down uncomfortably close, his breath fanning across her cheek. “I think you're here to help me,” he said softly. 

 

Daisy scoffed. “That seems unlikely.” 

 

“Does it?” Kasius finally moved out of her personal space and paced, his back to them. “Word of your presence has piqued much interest. In fact, bidders are on their way, and with the price I'll fetch for you and your performance, I'll finally have the means to leave this horrendous place once and for all.” He paused, before turning back with a smile that seemed horribly out of place. 

 

“This one, unfortunately…” He gestured at Robbie. “I thought perhaps we could contain it, but you have proven that theory to be incorrect.” 

 

_ “He,” _ Robbie said through gritted teeth. “I’m not an  _ it. _ And what makes you think you can force her to do anything?” 

  
  
“You know my methods,” Kasius answered.

 

“No, he’s right,” Daisy chimed in. “What makes you think I’d go along with that?”

 

Kasius feigned pity. “Because of course, your friend’s face is so beautiful.”

 

Daisy wavered, looking over at Jemma standing by the wall, staring straight into space. 

 

“Don’t you want to make sure it stays that way?” Kasius asked. “Not to mention of course…” He took a few steps towards Robbie.

 

“I’ve had my experiments with this one,” Kasius said. “The best torture victim is one who can feel pain, but cannot die.” His words were implicit enough without the way Robbie’s eyes narrowed, his grip on the arms of his chair tightening, leather gloves drawn taut amidst the chains. “If you want to make sure your old lover and your darling Jemma remain untouched, I suggest you heed my demands. Some food for thought...Daisy.” 

 

He left them there, bringing Jemma with him, and Daisy craned her neck to see him walking over to Deke. They spoke too quietly to be heard, but the conversation ended with Deke nodding and Kasius walking away. Deke began making his way towards the,, and Daisy turned her line of sight to Robbie, less than six feet away and just as stuck as her.

 

“Well, it appears my transaction is being momentarily delayed,” Deke said in an exaggerated tone, coming to stand in front of them. “Kasius is clearing up the matters of the Harvesting, and then he’ll give me my payment.” 

 

“Don’t get too comfortable gloating,” Daisy said. “This won’t last.”

 

“Oh, you’d be surprised, sweetheart.”

 

“Call me sweetheart again and the next time I see you, I’m shattering your kneecaps.” 

 

“I told you, Quake, I’m playing the long game,” Deke said. 

 

“No wonder you get along so well with the blues,” Daisy said, her tone dripping icicles, “You’re practically the same.” That melted the grin right off Deke’s face.

 

“I am  _ nothing _ like them,” Deke said roughly.

 

“You’re self-obsessed and only care about how much money you can make off of other people’s misery,” snarled Daisy, “Face it, Deke, you’re _ just like them.” _

 

“You don’t know anything about me,” Deke hissed, “My parents died when I was nine, you don’t know what I’ve been-”

 

“Join the fucking club,” Robbie snapped. “You want a t-shirt?” 

 

“Kasius as good as killed my parents, you don’t understand-”

 

“I understand enough,” Robbie interrupted. “What kind of pathetic  _ cobarde _ uses his dead parents as an excuse to sell people into slavery?” 

 

“You might be walking away rich, Deke,” Daisy said, “But I’m going to make sure you pay for this.” 

 

Deke scoffed, looking her up and down. “We’ll see about that, sweetheart. Have fun during the auction.” 

 

And then he was gone, leaving Robbie and Daisy alone with their thoughts and chains. 

 

Daisy knew they probably only had precious few minutes before they were separated, so she tried to put together a plan as quickly as she could. 

 

“They’ll have to let me use my powers at some point, or I could get ahold of those remotes for the inhibitors. Maybe I can bring down Kasius’ part of the station, go and rescue Simmons and get you-”

 

“Daisy.” Barely spoken over a rasped whisper, that one word, her name, sounded like longing in Robbie’s mouth, a quiet plea. That was all it took to silence her.

 

“Don’t...don’t worry about me,” he said, and his eyes were so soft and so sad, “I’m-I’m not-just don’t come looking for me, don’t do anything that-”

 

“What do you want me to do, leave you here?”

 

He was quiet, and that was all she needed for an answer she refused to accept. 

 

“That’s not happening, Robbie,” she said. “I won’t leave you here, not like this, it’s not-”

 

“I’ve lived my life, Daisy,” he said. “There’s nothing left for me here, and there’s nowhere else I have to go.”

 

“If we can find a way back, maybe we can-”

 

“No,” Robbie said simply. “That’s not how it works.” 

 

They fell into a momentary silence. Something that Kasius had said stuck out to Daisy.

 

_ Past lover. _ Did he mean...Robbie?

 

“What Kasius said… about us. Is that-is that true? At all?” she asked after a small while.

 

And Robbie smiled. It was small, and gentle, almost as if he was reminiscing, and looked so out of place in the mess of a situation they were in, because for a moment, he looked at least a little bit happy.

 

And then it was gone, tainted by something she didn’t understand, and it turned sad.

 

“Yeah,” he replied finally. “It was.” 

 

She would have asked for more details had the guards not come in to take them somewhere else. Chains rattling, they took Robbie first, and she gritted her teeth in frustration as she heard them leave, swearing to herself that she was definitely going to kill Deke and Kasius both as more guards came to take her elsewhere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "cobarde" means coward in Spanish
> 
> thanks to marvelthismarvelthat for language help!

**Author's Note:**

> Comment/kudos, please!


End file.
